Monday, April 18, 2011

The importance of using social networks has been underscored once again. Although social networks have been around for less than five years, their impact as a traffic source has become a driving force for business and entertainment. Outbrain, a recommendation engine, conducted a recent study in which they "pulled a sample data set of 100 million sessions across more than 100 web publishers - defining a session as a series of page views within a website with no more than 30 minutes between one page view and the next." The results, according to Media Post showed that the top content viewed were news stories, entertainment and lifestyle categories. All of those categories received the most traffic from social sources. Surprisingly, sports ranked last...

Far too many jaded radio people tend to forget that radio is an entertainment source, but of course it is. Falling right after web searches for news sources, web surfers consider entertainment their second choice. That means that radio has to use the leading social sites, Facebook and Twitter as a magnet not only for station websites but for listening to radio itself...

Outbrain, in their study thought it was worth comparing relative traffic quality to see what differences exist between Facebook and Twitter. They found that both sites drive "similarly engaged audiences in terms of page views per session, bounce rates (those who bounce from one to another) and hyper-engaged reader sessions. The one difference was in their relative reach (defined as the number of unique visitors per 1,000 sessions." The results showed that "a session from Facebook was 40% more likely to be from a unique visitor compared to Twitter, whose audience was more likely to be made up of repeat visitors." However you interpret those results, radio needs to do a better job of convincing social network consumers to, not only visit their websites but listen to their station...

10 Timeline Memories:1.1775] In the midnight hour: Paul Revere and William Dawes set out on their ride from Charlestown to Lexington (MA) to warn the colonists that those nasty Redcoats were coming. This is Patriot's Day in Boston which features the Boston Marathon and a morning game at Fenway Park...2.1906] Shake and bake: San Francisco is devastated by an earthquake that takes 3,000 lives...3.1923] Opening day: John Philip Sousa's band plays the national anthem as Yankee Stadium opens in the Bronx. The Yankees beat the Red Sox in the opener 4-1...4.1949] Brits take note: The Irish Republic is proclaimed...5.1956] Wedding Bells: Actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier of Monaco...6.1978] Returning the canal: The U.S. Senate votes (68-32) to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control in 1999...7.1983] Death at the embassy: A suicide bomber kills 63, including 17 Americans, at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon...8.1999] The Great One bows out:Wayne Gretzky, the NHL's all-time leading scorer plays his last professional game at Madison Square Garden...9.2002] Gotcha: Police arrest actor Robert Blake in the shooting death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley one year earlier. Blake will be acquitted but is found liable in a civil case...2003]Scott Petersonis arrested in the death of his wife, Laci, who was 8 months pregnant when she vanished on Christmas Eve, 2002. Peterson was sentenced to death and is currently on death row at San Quentin...10.2007] Supes rule: The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling,uphold a federal ban on a medical procedure that opponents call partial-birth abortion...

Events:The "IBS-Spring Palooza" is coming Friday & Saturday, April 22 & 23, 2011. The weekend of local, live music on member stations of the IBS Student Radio Network, helps local college bands get airplay, creates a buzz around your station and raises some money for local charities. For additional information contact Backbone's George Capalbo, gcapalbo@backbone.com or Steve Theo, Pirate! Promotions, steve@piratepirate.com

Friday, April 15, 2011

We've reached the part of the wedding ceremony where anyone objecting to the impending union of the couple getting married, may voice their concern. This wedding happens to be the joining in holy matrimony of Cumulus Media and Citadel Broadcasting but it's not any different. So, if you have any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace. Actually you have until "no later than May 13, 2011" proclaims the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC says that "oppositions to petitions to deny must be filed no later than May 23, 2011" and "replies must be filed no later than May 31, 2011". But before you send in something silly like "are these revenue bleeding broadcast companies crazy?", think again. The Commission "reserves the right to return any application if, upon further examination, it is determined to be defective and not in conformance with the Commission's rules, regulations or policies." You wouldn't want to upset the FCC would you???

Cumulus, the groom in this wedding is conforming with the FCC's wishes by filing a plan with the agency to put 14 stations into a trust (Volt Radio, LLC) for sale in order for the company to comply with ownership rules. The total number of stations involved in the merger is close to 600 at a cost of $2.4 billion for Cumulus Media...

Those intending to file petitions to deny become parties to the proceeding, so you better have a valid reason to object and set aside some time to serve some merger duty...

10 Timeline Memories:1.1912] That sinking feeling:Four hours after hitting an iceberg, the Titanic sinks in the Northern Atlantic (4/15)...2.1940] Bagel Bob: The linescore for the Chicago White Sox was 0-0-0 as Bob Feller of Cleveland pitches the first and only opening day no-hitter (4/16)…3.1947] Breaking the color barrier: Jackie Robinsonbecomes major league baseball's first black player, making his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie, playing first base goes hitless in 3 at-bats (4/15)...4.1955] Mickey D. arrives: Ray Kroc opens the first McDonald's fast-food restaurant (4/15)...5.1960] Rock & Roll Wreck: 21-year old rocker Eddie Cochran dies in Bath, England from injuries sustained in a car crash that seriously wounds Gene Vincent. Vincent will recover from his injuries (4/17)...6.1962] CBS cries ‘Uncle’: Uncle Walter Cronkite succeeds Douglas Edwards as anchor of the CBS Evening News. In 1963, this newscast is stretched to 30 minutes (4/16)...7.1965] Making the Most of Havlicek's steal: In a call made famous by Johnny Most ("Havlicek Stole the Ball") the Celtics win the Eastern Division championship over Philadelphia when John Havlicek steals an in-bound pass as time runs out (4/15)...8.1985] It's Marvelous: Marvelous Marvin Hagler retains his world middleweight crown in a great battle with Thomas "Hitman" Hearns that ends in a 3rd round TKO (4/15)...9.1998] 'Happy Trails': Cancer claims the life of Linda McCartney at 56 (4/17)...10.2007] Massacre in Blacksburg: Virginia Tech senior Seung-Hui Cho goes on a shooting rampage resulting in 32 deaths and his own in a suicide on campus in Blacksburg (VA) (4/16)...

Music Memories:

1965] Debuted on this date: The Hollies make their American debut on a Murray the K show at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater (4/16). The Hollies on a 1965 TV show...1965] "Help Me Rhonda" - Beach Boys (4/17)...1966] Buffalo Springfield performs for the 1st time as the opening act for The Byrds in San Bernadino (CA) (4/15). For 'what it's worth', here's a clip of Buffalo Springfield (introduced by The Monkees' Peter Tork) from the 1967 Monterey Music Festival...

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Will radio reach a point when digital signals will be required like television? The FCC will eventually make that requirement but radio better hope it doesn't come anytime soon. Radio is simply not prepared to go digital. To date, only 1,627 radio stations have converted to digital - that represents just 16% of total stations. Radio World reports that FCC Audio Division Chief Peter Doyle made that claim at the NAB Radio Show. Doyle says the conversion to digital rate amounts to "maybe a handful" each month. Doyle believes the poor economy is likely responsible for the conversion rate. Budget cuts have taken their toll on radio in all areas of operation. Then there are those that have yet to be convinced that conversion to digital results in revenue gains ...

Asking for a power increase is tempting because there's never been an easier time to increase broadcast power than now. Notifying the FCC is about all that's required. Doyle is concerned about the stations that are simply "replicating analog coverage", which doesn't produce a digital signal. It just gives stations a better analog signal. Then there's HD, a product of iBiquity Digital. HD (which does not stand for "High Definition") proponents feel their stations would more easily qualify for a power increase should they better protect neighboring stations from potential interference. They would be correct in that assumption...

We live in a digital world where AM radio gets a pass until someone comes up with real digital AM. FM stations aren't as lucky. Not only is stereo a must for FM but so is digital. Better to do it now before the FCC mandates it. That day is coming...

10 Timeline Memories:

1.1865] A bad day at the theater: President Abraham Lincoln is shot and mortally wounded by actor John Wilkes Booth while attending the comedy "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater in Washington (DC). He will die of his wounds the following day...2.1894] Pass the popcorn: The first public showing of Edison's kinetoscope aka 'moving pictures' is held...3.1902] The money man: James Cash Penney opens his first retail store, The Golden Rule Store in Kemmerer (WY). The name will be changed to J.C. Penney...4.1910] Play ball: President William Howard Taft throws out the 1st ball for the Washington Senators-Philadelphia A's game in Washington (DC) and a tradition is born...1969] The first major league game is played in Canada (Montreal)...5.1912] Down with the ship: The Titanic, on its maiden voyage, hits an iceberg and begins to sink. It will fully sink at 2:27 a.m. on April 15th. More than 700 survive but 1,517 lose their lives...6.1939] Sour grapes: John Steinbeck publishes "The Grapes of Wrath"...7.1956] Get out the splicing bars: Ampex Corporation demonstrates the first commercial magnetic tape recorder for sound and picture...8.2003] Gotcha: U.S. commandos in Baghdad capture Abul Abbas, leader of the Palestinian group that killed an American on the hijacked Achille Lauro in 1985...9.2003] A Tikrit to ride: Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit falls to U.S. led forces with unexpectedly light resistance...10.2008] Wedding Bells: Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp., announce they are combining...

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

All that was missing was the playing of Taps after National Association of Broadcasters President/CEO Gordon Smith proclaimed the Performance Tax Bill Dead. In his keynote address at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, Smith claimed that NAB "stopped the legislation that would impose a performance tax on local radio stations." Smith called the tax movement a "freight train headed for passage" that the trade group brought under control by seeking a good faith, workable agreement with the music industry. Smith added this: "Our objective was to make certain that if something passed, it provided a bright future for radio. We offered to compensate record labels and performers if they would help us get broadcast radio on every future cell phone, which is important not only for entertainment, but more importantly to provide the public with an effective alert warning system." ...

Smith adds that the music industry turned the deal down: "In the end the record labels rejected our offer, but the performance tax bill also died. We remain open to discussions. We're still at the table, and we hope the other side comes back. By the way, the context of our approach marked a stark divergence from the past." You can be sure that the music industry will have their own version of this story coming soon. In his closing statement Smith finally yields to radio's necessary inclusion of broadband in its platform...

"The world of the future must include broadcasting and broadband without degrading either" says Smith. He won't get many arguments from that statement...

10 Timeline Memories:1.1870] Get the picture?: The Metropolitan Museum of Art is founded in New York City...2.1940] Their cup runneth over: The New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup by beating Toronto in the NHL playoffs. They also won in 1994...3.1943] Dedicated to the one I love: President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicates the Jefferson Memorial on the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's birth...4.1954] Debuted on this date:Hank Aaronmakes his major league debut with Milwaukee going 0 for 5 in the Braves loss to Cincinnati...1963] Pete Rose gets his first major league hit (a double) for Cincinnati...1978] Reggie Jacksonhits a home run and 'Reggie Bars' rain down at Yankee Stadium as Robert Phillips and his dad enjoy their Reggie Bars...5.1964] Breaking the color barrier: Sidney Poitier becomes the first black performer in a leading role to win an Academy Award, for "Lilies of the Field."...6.1970] Crippled Apollo returns safely: Apollo 13, four-fifths of the way to the moon is crippled when a tank containing liquid oxygen bursts. The astronauts aboard return safely...7.1986] The record-breaking Master: Jack Nicklaus wins his record 6th Masters title...1997] At 21, Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win the Masters. Also the youngest person to wear the hideous green jacket...8.1986] Mazel tov:Pope John Paul II visits a Rome synagogue in the first recorded papal visit of its kind...9.1998] Wedding Bells: NationsBank and Bank of America announce a $62.5 billion merger...10.1999] Guilty as charged: Jack Kevorkian is sentenced to 10 to 25 years for the second-degree murder of a man whose assisted suicide was shown on "60 Minutes" in 1998. He is released after serving a few years because of his health...2005]Eric Rudolphpleads guilty to carrying out the deadly bombing at the 1996 Olympics and 3 other attacks. He is now serving 4 consecutive life sentences...

Music Memories:

1965] Grammy Gold: Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto win a Grammy for 'Record of The Year' ("Girl From Ipanema"). Getz also wins for 'Album of The Year' (with Joao Gilberto) and The Beatles win for 'Best New Artist of the Year"...

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The RAIN (The Radio And Internet Newsletter) Summit West, part of the NAB Radio Show in Las Vegas has produced some interesting information about listening habits. Yesterday, TargetSpot CEO Eyal Goldwerger announced that 79% of internet radio listening is done at home. Fifty-two percent of listening is done at work. Goldwerger believes that the traditional conception of 6am to 8pm is a lot longer than that. He also says "They're listening for hours at a time" according to Radio Info. He adds "59% of internet radio listeners spent about the same amount of time listening to broadcast radio and most importantly - broadcast radio "still owns the drive time." ...

Goldwerger also reports that adding internet radio advertising to a broadcast radio campaign increases ad response 3.5 times, while adding internet radio to other internet advertising boosts response 2 times, according to All Access. Fifty-two percent of respondents said they recalled internet radio ads from the past 30 days, and 42% said they actually responded to the ads. Eighty percent of respondents said they listen to one to three hours per day of internet radio, with 45% listening on mobile devices...

This study, commissioned by Target Spot and conducted by Park Associates consisted of 1,000 internet radio listeners in the U.S. That's a sizable number and the results of that study being presented today at the RAIN Summit West should be taken seriously by radio broadcasters if they intend to continue to compete in an ever-changing media world...

10 Timeline Memories:1.1861] Hardly civil: The Civil War begins as confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter...2.1877] The tools of ignorance: The catcher for Harvard's baseball team, James Tyng (it should have been 'Pyng') wears a modified fencing mask behind the plate. It's believed to be the 1st catcher's mask ever used in a baseball game. The new catcher's mask looks like this...3.1938] Blood letting: The 1st U.S. law requiring a medical test for a marriage license is enacted in New York. Drawing blood is no longer required, it's been replaced by fogging up a mirror. If you're thinking of getting married in the Bahamas, watch this...4.1945] 'Happy Trails': President Franklin D. Rooseveltdies from a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs (GA) at 63. Harry S. Truman is sworn in as our new President...5.1960] Veeck as in Wreck: Bill Veeck and Chicago's Comiskey Park introduce the 1st exploding scoreboard...6.1966] Rock & Roll Wreck: Jan Barry (Jan & Dean) crashes his car at Dead Man's Curve, (good song title) is seriously injured but survives...7.1988] Vote For Me: Sonny Bono is elected mayor of Palm Springs (CA)...8.1995] Gitchy Gitchy yaya dada: Drew Barrymore jumps on David Letterman's desk, lifts her sweater up with her back to the audience and gives Letterman an eyeful as a birthday present...9.2004] Concentrated juice: Barry Bonds ties Godfather Willie Mays for 3rd place with his 660th home run. Eventually Bonds sets the all-time record with762 home runs...10.2007] Canned Imus: Don Imus is fired for his racial references to the Rutgers' women's basketball team. On the same day New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine is seriously injured in an automobile crash. Corzine was on his way to a meeting with the team and Imus...

Events:An Evening with Irv Joel. The Man Behind The Scene, will be presented tonight by the New York Section of the Audio Engineering Society at The New School For Jazz Performance, 55 West 13th Street in Manhattan. A Meet & Greet will begin at 6:30pm, and the presentation will follow at 7...

Music Memories:

1954] Recorded on this date: "Rock Around The Clock" - Bill Haley & Comets. This was the quote from producer Milt Gabler: "I hope you guys don't need any rehearsal time with the 'clock song'. We've only got time for a couple of takes.". Many regard this as the first Rock & Roll song...

Monday, April 11, 2011

NPR fans can exhale. Their favorite radio source is safe - for now. The six-month budget deal announced at the 11th hour Friday grants public radio a reprieve but it's a short one. Programmers at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio would be wise to spend the next 6 months figuring out how to position their stations once the plug is finally pulled. The Daily Caller reports that "The continuation of funding for public broadcasting is one of several significant victories for Democrats regarding the policy riders in the bill still emerging hours after Democratic and Republican leaders struck a deal to avert government shutdown." ...

While neither party should be taking bows for anything regarding decisions that affect our lives, the saving of public broadcasting stands out given the heavy criticism leveled at it over the last several months, dating back to the botched firing of Juan Williams for his racial comments. NPR fired Williams over the phone after his famous "I get worried. I get nervous." Williams was referring to seeing flight passengers "dressed in muslim garb." Some defended Williams' right to offer that opinion while others criticized the way Williams was fired - over the phone. Then there was NPR's charge that the Tea Party was "racist" because it was thought that a Muslim group with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood was contemplating the donation of $5 million. That episode was caught on an undercover video in which NPR executive Ron Schiller also said that NPR would be "better off" without federal funding...

I don't believe NPR would be better off without federal funding but public broadcasters better come up with a programming plan that doesn't require that funding in the next 6 months...

10 Timeline Memories:1.1924] Debuted on this date: WLS Chicago signs on...2.1951] MacArthur canned: President Harry S. Truman relieves General Douglas MacArthur of his Far East command...3.1961] Dylan debut:Bob Dylan makes his professional debut at Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village. Dylan opens for John Lee Hooker. Prior to that Dylan lasted 3 weeks as a member of Bobby Vee's backup band, the Shadows before being fired...4.1962] Meet the Mets: The New York Mets make their National League debut with an 11-4 loss in St. Louis. There would be 119 more losses before the end of the season.5.1979] Amin is out: Idi Amin is deposed as president of Uganda as rebels and exiles backed by Tanzanian forces seize control of the capital, Kampala...6.1980] Ban on sexual harassment: The Equal Opportunity Commission issued regulations prohibiting sexual harassment of workers by supervisors...7.1981] Wedding Bells: Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli rock down the aisle. They separate in October, 2001 and Valerie drops Eddie, filing for divorce at the end of 2005...8.1988] Oscar time: Cher wins the 'Best Actress' Oscar for her role in "Moonstruck"...9.1996] Tragedy in the sky: 7-year old Jessica Dubroff, who was trying to become the youngest person to fly cross-country is killed with her father and flight instructor after taking off from Cheyenne (WY)...10.2007] Charges dropped: Against 3 former Duke University lacrosse players who were falsely accused of rape...

The IBS-Spring Palooza will be held Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23. For more information on the weekend of local, live music on member stations of the IBS Student Radio Network, contact George Capalbo (gcapalbo@backbone.com) of Backbone Networks or Steve Theo (steve@piratepirate.com), Pirate! Promotions...

Friday, April 8, 2011

The newly accredited Triton Digital's Webcast Metrics, formerly Ando Media, is a growing force that will be hard to match by Arbitron or any other measurement company. Webcast Metrics actually allow any broadcaster to measure its internet audience from a streaming server. It's an audience measurement service as Triton advertises, that "Does not rely on memory, opinion or input from consumers." They further add that their analytics platform is "Server-based and accessible on-demand for custom audience analysis. The customizable dashboard feature allows Triton Digital customers to analyze and compare audience metrics on many levels." Triton claims that their service is licensed by hundreds of broadcasters and pure play online services. And yesterday, their service became accredited by the Media Rating Council (MRC)...

Triton has something else going for it - the MRC audit committee which has had its battles with Arbitron, is in love with Webcast Metrics. George Ivie, MRC Executive Director and CEO says of Triton, "It's commitment to quality, as evidenced by its commitment to the MRC accreditation process, demonstrates the seriousness with which it takes its leadership role in the streaming audio measurement space." All that was missing from Ivie's statement were a few lip smacks and red roses. Triton issued a press release in which the measurement company vows to "Continue to improve and innovate our offerings, providing the marketplace with the best data possible." ...

What makes this accreditation so valuable for Triton is the growing number of internet listeners that has reached an estimated 52 million and that number is climbing...

10 Timeline Memories:1.1912] Where did you say the lifeboats are?: The Titanic sets sail on its ill-fated maiden voyage from Southampton, England (4/10)...2.1947] Breaking the color barrier: 28-year old Jackie Robinson becomes the first black player to be signed by a major league team when Dodger President Branch Rickey signs Jackie to a contract at the team's Montague Street executive offices in Brooklyn (4/10). All Jackie will do is guide the Dodgers to 7 pennants and a World Series victory (1955) in his 10 years in Brooklyn...3.1963] Cape Cod Tragedy: 129 die as the nuclear powered submarine USS Thresher fails to surface off Cape Cod (MA) (4/10)...4.1974] Chicken is hatched: College student Ted Giannoulas answers a radio station ad for a mascot in San Diego and becomes the 'San Diego Chicken' (4/9)...5.1974] A new home run king:Hank Aaron passes Babe Ruth, becoming baseball's new Home Run King with his 715th home run off of Dodger pitcher Al Downing (4/8). Barry Bonds has since passed Aaron...6.1975] Breaking the color barrier: Frank Robinson of the Cleveland Indians becomes the Major League's 1st black manager (4/8)...7.1992] Adios: Former Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriegais convicted in Miami of 8 drug and racketeering charges and is sentenced to 30 years in prison (4/9). After serving his U.S. sentence in Sept. 2007, Noriega was extradited to France. After a retrial, he was found guilty and sentenced to 7 years in a french prison in July, 2010...8.1992] Sad news conference: Tennis great Arthur Ashe announces at a news conference that he has AIDS (4/8)...9.1994] Rock star a suicide: The body of Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain is found in Seattle, another apparent victim of suicide. Cobain was 27 (4/8)...10.2003] Off his pedestal: Today was the day that the Saddam Husseinstatue came down in downtown Baghdad as Iraqis celebrate the collapse of his regime (4/9)...

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Car manufacturers have gotten the message. CD's and DVD's are out and internet radio is in. The trend has now shifted toward internet dashboard radio and products that can play music directly from a Universal Serial Bus (USB) stick or Secure Digital (SD) memory card. According to Financial, an increasing number of radios have direct connections for digital multimedia players and many mobile phones can also be linked via Bluetooth, providing access to online music while in the car and the ability to make hands-free calls. As a result, many of the car radios that have most recently come on the market don't have a CD or DVD device but internet radio is a must in order to compete with other car manufacturers...

According to Inside Radio, the number of cars with a connected car system is expected to grow from 45 million at the end of 2011 to 210 million worldwide by 2016. The global view by Financial isn't quite as enthusiastic. They see the share of the overall car radio market as having increased from 3% in 2009 to 6% last year. What's clear is that in-car radio growth is highly dependent on manufacturers and their technical innovations which include enabling in-car internet access to attract new consumers and encourage drivers with older devices to upgrade to more modern products...

While in-car terrestrial and satellite radio listening won't go away - at the very minimum, the former better be streaming their signal. The latter was first with in-car dominance and have a strong fan base. For both, life has become a lot more challenging...

10 Timeline Memories:1.1930] Empire Steel Building: The first steel columns are set for the Empire State Building...2.1948] Some enchanted evening: Rogers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific" starring Mary Martin opens on Broadway...3.1957] The trolley swan song: The last of New York City's electric trolleys completes its final run from Queens to Manhattan...4.1958] Screened in: The Los Angeles Dodgers erect a 42-foot screen in left field at the Coliseum to cut down on home runs, only 250-feet down the line. The screen won't stop Frank "Hondo" Howard from clearing it with his bombs...5.1963] Diaper duffer: At the age of 23, Jack Nicklaus becomes the youngest golfer to win the green jacket at the Masters Tournament...6.1967] Who's your daddy?: Tom Donahuebegins the progressive aka AOR (Album Oriented Rock) FM format at KMPX in San Francisco. Donahue will become known as the "Father of FM Radio." ...7.1969] Save me: The Dodgers' Bill Singer is credited with the first official 'save' against the Reds. Write it down trivia fans. Here's an audio clip of Singer's no-hitter from 7/20/70 w/the great Vin Scully doing the play-by-play...8.1970] An Oscar for The Pilgrim: John Wayne wins his first and only Oscar for his role in "True Grit". It took him over 200 films to accomplish the feat...9.1998] Filling Sonny's shoes:Mary Bono, Sonny's widow, wins a special election to serve out the remainder of her husband's congressional term...10.2003] Palace taken: U.S. troops rumble through downtown Baghdad and seize one of Saddam Hussein's opulent palaces...

Music Memories:

•1968] #1 on this date: "Honey" - Bobby Goldsboro...1970] "Let It Be" - Beatles ..1974] "Bennie and the Jets" - Elton John...•1985] Elton lights a candle: Elton John performs "Candle in the Wind" at Farm Aid IV in tribute to Ryan White, a young AIDS patient who dies later that day...

Events:

The 2011 NAB Show will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center starting Saturday, April 9 for conferences, Monday, April 11 for exhibits. The 2011 NAB Show will run until Thursday, April 14. For registration and additional information, click here...

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Online Radio listening made its entry 10 years ago (2001) with a paltry 5% of weekly listening. Five years later (2006) online weekly listening, which includes AM/FM streams, more than doubled with 12%. Playing double or nothing one more time, online radio is now at 22% or 57 million listeners. The numbers are courtesy of the new Arbitron/Edison Infinite Dial 2011 study. The major catalyst for online listening started with the availability of broadband internet access. Now, it's moving into mobile devices - that's where the new growth is being fueled. In addition to mobile, online radio car listening should spur even more growth as that form of listening grows. It wouldn't be surprising to see another doubling of online listeners in the next 5 years, at all...

The Arbitron/Edison study shows "the vast majority (89%) of weekly online radio listeners also tuned to local AM/FM broadcast stations in the past week, demonstrating that listening to online radio is a complement to, not a replacement of, their over-the-air listening. In addition, time spent with radio among weekly online radio listeners is the same, not less than, the average population"...

What's interesting to note is that only 11% of those listening to online radio did not listen to AM/FM radio, which proves to me, at least, that they don't have to go far from one source to find the other...

10 Timeline Memories:1.1930] Twinkie munch: Hostess Twinkies are invented by bakery executive James Dewar who washes it down with a scotch...2.1958] Arnie's Army: 28-year old Arnold Palmer wins the Masters in Augusta (GA). Arnie's Army is born...3.1973] Designated: The Yankees' Ron Blomberg becomes the American League's first designated hitter at Fenway Park. A rule still in effect but only in the American League. The National League knows better...4.1974] Share and share alike: The Yankees who start sharing Shea Stadium with the Mets while Yankee Stadium is renovated, beat the Indians 6-1 in their first game there. The bombers will play there in 1974 & 1975. They get their stadium back in time for the opener in 1976...5.1980] Stick it: Post-it notes are introduced to the public...6.1980] Curtains: Gordie Howe'sremarkable 26-year NHL career ends when at 52 he plays his last game and scores his 801st and final goal for Hartford against his former team - the Detroit Red Wings...1987] Dodger VP Al Campanis is quoted as saying "blacks lacked the necessities to be managers" to Ted Koppel on "Nightline". Campanis soon lacks the necessity of a job...7.1992] 'Happy Trails': Science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov dies at 72 from AIDS, contracted by a blood transfusion during open-heart surgery...1998] Legendary Country singer Tammy Wynettedies in her sleep in Nashville at 55. Tammy, who I had the pleasure of meeting, was known as "The First Lady of Country Music" for having 18 Number one hits on the Country charts...8.1998] A marriage made on Wall Street: Citicorp and Travelers Group announce a merger creating the largest financial-services conglomerate in the world under the name Citigroup...9.2004] This school knows basketball: On April 5th, the Connecticut Huskies men's team wins the NCAA championship by beating Georgia Tech 82-73. On April 6th the female Huskies win their title by beating Tennessee 70-61. It's the first time a Division 1 school wins both titles in the same season. This past Monday night Jim Calhoun won his third championship as coach of the UConn Huskies...10.2009] Going to Hall: The greatMichael Jordan is elected to the basketball Hall of Fame...

Music Memories:

•1963] Heard on the radio on this date: "It's My Party" by Lesley Gore who heard her first record on WINS coming home from school...

Events:

The first annual Worldwide Radio Summit will be held Friday & Sunday, April 29 & 30 at the W Hotel in Hollywood. Admission is $275 to register. For additional information, click here...

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

This probably wont come as shocking news to the radio station owners that find themselves barely surviving but signs are now pointing to a not-so-hot year for radio revenue. BIA/Kelsey is now predicting modest revenue gains in 2011. They predict a small increase in radio revenue for the current calendar year. After growth of 5.4% in 2010, BIA/Kelsey is forecasting growth of 3.7% for radio in 2011. According to Radio Ink, "the minuscule jump of less than 4% goes against the grain of every bit of anecdotal evidence coming in from radio stations around the country." BIA/Kelsey is predicting a 4.5% growth in 2012, thanks to political advertising. Modest gains are also forecast for radio from 2013 through 2015...

In addition to revenue predictions for radio in the coming years, a new U.S. Ad Spending report from eMarketer shows radio getting 9.9% of the ad spend pie for 2015, which ranks just above magazines (6.7%), outdoor (4.4%) and various directories (2.9%). According to Adweek, TV will get the lion's share of ad spend in 2015 - 39.2%, followed by internet (25.6%) and the rest. Radio ranks 4th in ad spend among both new and old media...

Both the BIA/Kelsey and eMarketer forecasts are just that and from what I've learned from doing research is not to look at just one report but instead to look for developing trends. So far the trends are showing slow growth for radio in the years ahead...

10 Timeline Memories:1.1949] A killing blaze: A fire in an Effingham (IL) hospital kills 77 and leads to nationwide fire code improvements in the U.S...2.1969] Hell no, we won't go: Massive antiwar demonstrations occur in many U.S. cities...3.1976] 'Happy Trails': Reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes dies from kidney failure at 72...1992] Wal-Mart founder Sam Waltonsuccumbs to cancer at 74...2006] Gene Pitney is found dead in his Cardiff (Wales) hotel room during a UK tour. Pitney dies from natural causes...4.1982] Chapter 11: Record World Magazine, which was founded in 1946 as Music Vendor and changed its name to Record World in 1964, folds...5.1984] Record breaker: Kareem Abdul Jabbar becomes the highest scoring player in NBA history with 31,421 career points. He still holds the career record with 38,387 points...6.1987] Release the hounds: Fox Broadcasting Co. makes its prime time TV debut...7.1992] The siege is on: The Siege of Sarajevo begins when Serb paramilitaries murder peace protesters...8.1993] What timeout?: Michigan's Chris Webber calls a timeout his Wolverines don't have, resulting in a technical and loss of the ball. North Carolina wins its 3rd national title (second under Dean Smith) 77-71...9.1999] Surrender made and accepted: Libya surrenders two suspects in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland to a U.N. representative...10.2008] Death of an icon: Charlton Heston dies from pneumonia at 84...

Music Memories:

•1985] "We Are The World": An estimated 5,000 radio stations simultaneously play "We Are The World" to raise money to feed those starving in Africa and the U.S...Harvey Mednick considers this one of the proudest moments at R&R for he and Dwight Case...•1993] Rocking the ground: Ground is broken in Cleveland for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...

Events:"An Evening with Irv Joel, The Man Behind The Scene" will be held on Tuesday, April 12 from 6:30pm - 9:30pm at the New School For Jazz Performance, 55 West 13th Street in Manhattan. The event is being sponsored by the New York Section of the Audio Engineering Society...

Monday, April 4, 2011

The first quarter of 2011 wasn't so hot for radio but optimism is filtering in from Wall Street about Q2. U.S. blue chips opened the second quarter Friday by reaching their highest level since June 2008 as investor optimism rose after an upbeat U.S. employment report. Wall Street watchers are optimistic as the Dow Jones industrial average climbed above the 12,400 mark on views the U.S. economy is on a solid recovery track, car sales are up and analysts say the data signals that recovery in the world's largest economy remained firmly on track, according to Forex Yard. Market Watch reports that the market should continue to rise for the rest of the year, although the pace of gains may slow. Radio is hoping that Wall Street optimism rubs off...

When asked by All Access recently where radio's growth will come from, James Boyle, Wall Street analyst believes that "Radio stations have a chance to be a mature media that has positive, diversified revenue, and improving or stable margin prospects rather than the mature Newspaper industry, which continues to hemorrhage revenue, lose margins and readers. Of the three big mature media - Newspaper, TV and Radio - Radio should want to look a lot more like TV than newspapers. It is long past time to diversify radio revenue from solely advertising." Boyle also sees radio experimenting with coupon or Groupon type promotions with local merchants so they can "take advantage of radio's experience in simulating more sales traffic, than first-time sellers from a competing online coupon service." ...

Radio's continuing state of flux needs a good second quarter. It doesn't have to blow the doors off, it just has to be good - an improvement over Q1. Radio is hoping they get one...

10 Timeline Memories:1.1818] Twenty down-30 to go: Congress decides the U.S. flag should consist of 13 red & white stripes and 20 stars, with a new star to be added for every new state...2.1902] All roads lead to Oxford: British financier Cecil Rhodes leaves $10 million in his will to provide scholarships at Oxford University in England...3.1949] Call it NATO: Twelve nations, including the United States, signs the North Atlantic Treaty...4.1968] MLK gunned down: Martin Luther King Jr. is gunned down while standing on the balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis...5.1974] Henry ties it up: Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves ties Babe Ruth's career home run record by hitting his 714th HR in Cincinnati...6.1983] Jimmy V scores: North Carolina State are the champions of the NCAA with a stunning upset of mighty Houston, 54-52. Coach Valvano looks for someone to hug at the buzzer...7.1991] Tragedy in PA: Sen. John Heinz (R-Penn) & 6 others are killed when a helicopter collides with Heinz's plane over a schoolyard in Merion...8.1999] Bueno, Si?: The Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 8-2 in baseball's first season opener held in Mexico...9.2001] Nomo No-No: Red Sox pitcherHideo Nomo no-hits Baltimore to become only the 4th MLB pitcher to pitch no-hitters in both leagues...10.2007] Nappy-headed I-man: Don Imus makes offensive on-air remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team. Despite a subsequent apology, Imus is fired by CBS Radio & MSNBC...

The IBS Spring Palooza is scheduled for Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23. IBS Palooza is a weekend of local, live music on member stations of the IBS Student Radio Network. For additional information, email George Capalbo at Backbone (gcapalbo@backbone.com) or Steve Theo of Pirate! Promotions (steve@piratepirate.com...

Friday, April 1, 2011

It's been a long, hard struggle for Arbitron. They've had a tough time getting accreditation for their portable people meter (PPM) radio audience measurement services. Over the last several months accreditations have been trickling in and yesterday's pickup of 11 additional markets should make them happy for about a minute. They still have a long way to go...

Arbitron announced yesterday that they've secured accreditation from the Media Rating Council (MRC) for its PPM measurement service in 11 markets. I'm happy for them but as Research Magazine notes, 34 markets remain for accreditation. To-date, MRC, the industry's measurement cop, has signed off on 14 out of a total of 48 PPM markets, along with an analysis tool for PPM data. While the reasons services fail to be accredited are not disclosed by auditor MRC, it's not hard to figure out that each market is submitted to an annual audit, according to an Arbitron spokesman. Gregg Lindner, the company's chief research officer says "We will continue to work with the MRC with the goal of achieving accreditation for PPM radio ratings across all PPM markets...

Arbitron will get its chance to turn things around in those 34 markets with the 14 they already have accreditation in. All 48 markets will be audited again in 2011 when Arbitron submits them at MRC's request. If you're keeping score - 14 markets down with 34 to go...

10 Timeline Memories:

1.1876] Play Ball: Boston beats Philadelphia 6-5 in the first official National League game. The Boston Red Caps become the Braves and the Philadelphia A's will be expelled after the '76 season (4/1)...2.1877] With 6 you get egg roll: President Rutherford B. Hayes rolls out the first Easter egg as the annual Easter Egg Roll begins on the White House lawn (4/2). 134 years later, it's still being done (4/2)...3.1936] Death by electrocution: Bruno Hauptmann is electrocuted in Trenton (NJ) for the kidnap-murder of the Lindbergh baby (4/3)...4.1966] The Mets win the lottery: The New York Mets win the rights to "The Franchise" aka Tom Seaver in a lottery drawing after the Atlanta Braves violated rules by signing the pitcher after the college season had started. Three years later Seaver helps the Mets win their first World Series (4/3)...5.1972] Strike One: Major leaguers walk out at the end of spring training and begin the first general player's strike in sports history. They return April 13 (4/1)...6.1972] 'Happy Trails': Mets managerGil Hodges who managed the Mets to their first world championship in 1969, dies of a heart attack while playing golf in West Palm Beach (FL) two days before his 48th birthday. Yogi Berra replaces Hodges as Mets manager (4/2)...7.1976] A ripe Apple: Apple Computer is formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak (4/1)...8.1984] Marvin murdered:Marvin Gaye is shot to death by his father in Los Angeles one day before his 45th birthday (4/1)...9.2003] Saving Private Lynch: American troops enter a hospital in Iraq and rescue Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, held prisoner since her unit was ambushed 9 days earlier (4/1)...10.2010] iPad launch: Apple launches the iPad (4/3). To date, more than 15 million have been sold...

Rock 'n Roll photographer Richard Aaron presents a selection of his favorite shots in a benefit to help the National Kidney Foundation serving Southern California and Southern Nevada. Admission is $20 per guest at the Ensele Gallery, 23480 Park Sorrento in Calabasas (CA), Saturday, April 16 from 7pm-10pm...

Timeline Countdown: The Final Four tips off on Saturday Night, Monday night is the Championship Game, 18 days until Passover, 24 days until Easter, 36 days until the Kentucky Derby & 37 days until Mother's Day...

Thursday, March 31, 2011

A new nine-country study shows traditional media still packs a bigger punch than social media when it comes to advertising. Deloitte research and YouGov conducted the study in 6 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Japan, U.K and the U.S.). They combined their results with qualitative studies from Brazil, India and Korea. Deloitte and YouGov asked respondents how often they visited websites after being exposed to various types of media, dividing answers into 3 categories: "frequently", "occasionally" and "rarely or never." In every country, social networks registered scores below those of radio spots, newspaper ads and email offers...

Here in the U.S., social media scored in single digits (9%) as the choice for those looking at ads. The UK only registered 3%. Search engines returned the best ratings as 36% of contributors agreed companies like Google and Bing are their number one source for finding websites. That percentage reached 43% in Japan. Television ads followed with 20%, edging email alerts and deals with 16% and press advertising at 13%. Deloitte says email marketing has become more effective, as the number of Americans accessing sites has grown from 61% to 66%, based on data collected over the last 3 years...

Without looking at all the results of the various studies, I would say that social networks are used less for finding a great buy but not necessarily for socializing. As a user of both Facebook and Twitter, I would say social websites are quite healthy. I just wouldn't be looking for my next purchase on a social web unless "word-of-mouth", not used in the studies, influenced me...

10 Timeline Memories:1.1918] Time after time: For the first time in U.S. history, Daylight Savings Time goes into effect. Clocks are moved ahead one hour at 2 a.m...2.1923] They shoot horses, don't they?: The first U.S. dance marathon is won by Alma Cummings who sets a new world record of 27 hours in New York City. Gig Young finishes second...3.1931] Luck of the Irish runs out: 43-year old Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne and seven others are killed in a plane crash in Kansas as the legendary coach was headed to Hollywood to make a football movie...4.1943] Another opening, another show: Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Oklahoma" opens on Broadway. Although Howard Keel played the lead on Broadway, Gordon MacRae played that role on the big screen with Shirley Jones as his wife...5.1975] Going out a winner: John Woodencoaches his last game, a 92-85 UCLA win over Kentucky which gives the Bruins their 10th National Title under 'The Wizard of Westwood'...6.1976] Pulling the plug twice: The New Jersey Supreme Court rules that Karen Ann Quinlan could be disconnected from her respirator. Quinlan remains comatose until 1985 when she passes away...2005] Terri Schiavo dies at a hospice in Florida, 13 days after her feeding tube is removed in a right-to-die dispute that reached the courts, Congress and the White House...7.1986] 'Happy Trails': O'Kelly Isley, who I had the pleasure of knowing, dies of a heart attack at 48. The Isley Brothers first hit was "Shout"..1998] Former New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug dies from heart disease at 77...8.1992] Premiered on this date: "Dateline NBC"...9.1995] Tejano tragedy: 23-year old Tejano singing idol Selena is shot to death by Yolanda Saldivar, president of Selena's fan club. The shooting takes place outside a Corpus Christi motel room...10.1999] Murder is the rap: 4 New York City police officers are charged with murder for killing Amadou Diallo, an unarmed African immigrant, in a hail of bullets. The officers are acquitted in 2000...

Music Memories:

•1958] Released on this date: "Johnny B. Goode" - Chuck Berry...•1975] Number One on this date: "Lovin' You" - Minnie Riperton. The song was produced by Stevie Wonder. I never met a lovelier person than Minnie who at one time sang backup for Stevie and led the group Rotary Connection...

(WRKO...The Launch (Part 23) (March marks the 44th anniversary of WRKO Boston. This is the final day I'll be serializing the story behind the actual launch of what would become one of the country's legendary Top 40 radio stations and today continues to be a mainstay in New England with a N/T format)...

That, to the best my memory bank can process information stored 44 years ago, is the way I remember events leading to and including the launch of WRKO. The history of the station is still being written. Top 40 ruled from March 13, 1967 to1981 when WRKO changed to its present news/talk/sports format...

When I was hired to program WRKO-FM, I was told I was hired for "what was between my ears", not for my voice. What? They didn't like my aircheck? Programming "ARKO" was easy. I knew the music and ARKO didn't talk back. The great Curt Gowdy once summed up his success to me as "being in the right place at the right time." That may be true but we all know what he did with the opportunity he was given. There's probably some wisdom in Curt's statement for all of us who ever had the privilege to work at WRKO...

My own memories of 1967 are filled with once-in-a-lifetime events. Two months after we launched WRKO, Robert Dean Phillips was born in Needham's Glover Memorial Hospital on May 31, making his Dad, a happy man and giving his sister. Lynn, a brother to play with in the backyard. The next month WRKO would become the number one music station in Boston, beating WBZ and WMEX. I was officially named program director of WRKO-AM that summer - the "Summer of Love", which would give way to "The Impossible Dream" for the Red Sox who went from next to last in the standings in 1966 to the World Series in 1967. What a year!!!

This history of "WRKO...The Launch" was written for those of us lucky enough to have worked in the early stages of a great radio station and for all the terrific radio people who followed us, including the legion of listeners who chose a career in radio because of what they heard on NOW Radio...

- The End of The Beginning -

Mel Phillips March, 2011

(Many thanks to Shel Swartz, webmaster of the WRKO.org website for all the airchecks, photos, profiles, news articles, station memos & maps he provided. Access to his website can be made by clicking here, to Donna Halper for all the hours of research she did at the Boston Public Library to verify dates and events, and to everyone who offered quotes, information, advice and support)...

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

So ya think Bonneville might like a do-over? Further proof that "timing is everything" has just reared its ugly head. What was Bonneville thinking when they included WTOP-FM in their sale of 17 radio stations to Hubbard Broadcasting for $505 million? The proposed deal was filed with the FCC in January, 2011. Just two months later comes word that WTOP-FM is the top billing radio station in the U.S. BIA/Kelsey announced the list of top ten billing stations yesterday with an asterisk next to WTOP-FM indicating the pending deal from Bonneville to Hubbard Broadcasting. Hubbard will be holding its Christmas party today. Why wait???

In addition to WTOP-FM being on T-O-P of the top billing station list are four FM's & five AMs. Seven of the ten have either a news, talk or sports format, two are CHR with one Alternative formatted station in the mix. BIA/Kelsey notes that audiences attracted by news, talk or sports are very attractive to national and local advertisers and "thus, these stations can generate substantial revenues." Most of the stations in the top ten were there in 2009. They include KISS-FM (LA), WCBS-AM (NY), KFI-AM (LA), WLTW-FM (NY), WHTZ-FM (NY), WBBM-AM (CHI), WINS-AM (NY) & KROQ-FM (LA). The only newcomer was WFAN-AM (NY)...

WTOP-FM GM Joel Oxley tells Radio Ink the secret to his station's success: "People always know exactly what we're doing when they listen to us. Being on FM has been huge for us. A lot of our listeners are younger and we have an even split between male and female listeners." An FM news station (in stereo, no less) was tried by the late Jack Thayer when he headed NBC Radio in the 70's. He even used the call letters WNWS (FM). As with most of his innovations, he had the right idea. He was just about 40 years too early...

10 Timeline Memories:1.1867] North to Alaska: The U.S. purchases Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. The deal will be known as "Seward's Folly" after Secretary of State William H. Seward who brokered the deal for the U.S...2.1909] Feelin' Groovy: The Queensboro Bridge aka the 59th Street Bridge, linking Manhattan and Queens opens to traffic, becoming the first double-tiered bridge. Now you can call it the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge..3.1966] Back to work: Sandy Koufaxand Don Drysdale end a 32-day double holdout and sign with the L.A. Dodgers for equal $135,000 salaries. A bucket of balls and a fungo bat costs more than that today...4.1967] Pass the pepper: The cover picture of the Beatles "Sgt. Pepper" LP is shot at Michael Cooper's photo studio in Cheslea, England...5.1981] 'Honey, I forgot to duck': President Ronald Reagan is shot by John Hinckley. Reagan will make a complete recovery as will D.C. police officer Thomas Delahaney, also shot. Press secretary James Brady is not as lucky. Brady is left with permanent brain damage from his gunshot wound to the head. The 'Brady Law' will be passed in his name...6.1986] "Happy Trails": Legendary actor James Cagney dies from a heart attack at 86...2002] Queen Mother Elizabeth of England dies of natural causes at 101...7.1987] This guy's smart: Keith Smartpops a 17-foot jumper from the corner with 4 seconds left to give Indiana a 74-73 win over Syracuse as the Hoosiers celebrate their 3rd NCAA title under coach Bobby Knight...8.1992] Musical call letters: WNSR (105.1) changes call letters to WMXV (The Mix) in New York. Today, Power 105 occupies that frequency...9.1993] Touch 'em all Charlie: Charlie Brown hits his 1st home run in the Peanuts comic strip. Charlie wins his first game in this clip...10.2009] Government issue: President Barack Obama takes unprecedented government control over the auto industry, rejecting GM & Chrysler restructuring plans...

Music Memories:

• 1989] O Solo Mio: Gladys Knight performs solo for the 1st time since her grammar school days. She sings 'Pip-less' during a Las Vegas date. Gladys says the Pips could be the "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me"...

(WRKO...The Launch (Part 22) (March marks the 44th anniversary of WRKO Boston. All month long, I will be serializing the story behind the actual launch of what would become one of the country's legendary Top 40 radio stations and today continues to be a mainstay in New England with a N/T format)...

The late Roger Allan was our News Director when WRKO was launched. Roger was there at the old Yankee Network and remained for our format changeover and over 20 years beyond. Roger added these comments shortly before his passing in 2008 at the age of 79: "How can I ever forget the day we kicked Boston in the ass? The Now Generation hit Boston big. It's a 'happening.' There was the Globe, the Herald and the WRKO top 40 sheets (click "Music Surveys"). We had the newest of the new broadcast styles with 20/20 News which won innumerable news awards from UPI, AP & RTNDA thanks to people like John ("the barrrrometric pressure") Masters & Bob Stevens, Bill Rossi and Bob Cusack. The George Capalbo studios had the nation's best equipment. What a time for all of us."...

Which leads us to George Capalbo(click"Miscellaneous"for some of George's handiwork). George was our Director of Engineering but he also did our station filings: "I vividly recall filing the change of call letters with the FCC to make it legal. I was working long and exhausting hours to prepare for the big changeover. I have fond memories of the management and staff all pulling in the same direction and the elation we still experience at the success of the legendary WRKO." Gordon Brown,was one of the younger technicians who would become a disc jockey favorite: "I was promoted from Production Supervisor to Engineer as management wanted younger guys spinning the rock for the new jocks. I was matched with Chuck "Chuckles" Knapp on the 9-midnight shift. Chuck and Gordy became a solid team for several years...

Bill Wayland was one of our best salesmen. Bill went from selling a N/T MOR format to a Top 40 without missing a beat. Bill was at the Sack Savoy Theater the night of May 6, 1967 when all hell broke loose at the 4am showing of "Casino Royale": "I remember standing on Washington Street at 3am watching the police arrive. Memories. But I knew way before the ratings came out that WRKO was a hit. I walked the Irish Riviera from Dorchester to Southie on Carson Beach, on a warm day and all I heard was WRKO and the Red Sox on WHDH. We were there."

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

After the White House endorsed a performance fee on radio, the National Association of Broadcasters fired off its answer to Washington. The NAB issued this statement: "This is hardly a new policy position from the White House. NAB remains unalterably opposed to legislation creating an onerous, jobs-killing fee on America's hometown radio stations without offsetting provisions and benefits that recognize the unparalleled promotional value of radio airplay. NAB offered a legislative package to resolve this issue last year, which was summarily rejected by the musicFirst Coalition. Our offer still stands." Glowing endorsements of radio's help from recording artists followed. That letter was sent two weeks ago. Just one week earlier a non-binding House resolution opposing a performance fee was introduced. Inside Radio now reports that the number of lawmakers who've signed on has doubled and the number is expected to climb with Congress back in session...

The music industry's cause wasn't helped one bit by this week's announcement of digital royalty distributions topping $252 million. These royalties come from webcasting, satellite radio, television music channels and similar streaming platforms. SoundExchange President Michael Huppe was doing cartwheels: "The royalty pay-out increases reflect several trends: the success and growth of streaming services; increased awareness among artists and copyright holders of the need to register with SoundExchange to claim royalty payments; and improved processing of previously unpayable balances through data clean-up. New registrants are still able to collect several years of back royalties, often resulting in large first-time payouts." Huppe also pointed to the rising subscribership of digital music services like Pandora and Sirius XM as a source of increasing revenues...

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't these fees go to music artists? The answer to that question is that compared to the prior year, the average payment for artists was up 80% (to $2,800); for rights holders it was up 39% (to more than $14,000). And oh, by the way, SoundExchange's overall distributions in its first decade has reached over $600 million, according to Radio World. Anyone have a problem with that???

10 Timeline Memories:1.1951] I spy: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage for passing nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union. A charge denied by their children…2.1959] When you’re hot you’re hot: “Some Like It Hot” starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon premieres…3.1962] I kid you not: Jack Paar hosts NBC’s “Tonight Show” for the last time. Here's Jack with Johnny Carson...4.1971] Guilty as charged: Lt. William Calley Jr. is found guilty of premeditated murder of at least 22 Vietnamese civilians and is sentenced to life in prison. Calley wins a court case and is paroled. He now lives free in Columbus (GA)…5.1971] Death rap: A jury in Los Angeles recommends the death penalty for Charles Manson and 3 female followers for the 1969 Tate - Lo Bianca murders. His sentence is commuted to life in prison in San Quentin, where he resides today…6.1973] Turn out the lights: The last United States troops leave South Vietnam ending America’s direct military involvement in the war there…7.1974] Four dead in O-Hi-O: Eight Ohio National Guardsmen are indicted on charges stemming from the shooting death of 4 Kent State students in May of 1970. All are later acquitted and released…8.1992] Uh-huh: Candidate Bill Clinton acknowledges experimenting with marijuana “a time or two” but says “I didn’t inhale and I didn’t try it again”…9.2002] An enemy of the state: Israel declares Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat an enemy and sends tanks and armored personnel carriers to fully isolate him at his headquarters in the West Bank…10.2005] “Happy Trails“: O.J. Simpson attorney Johnnie Cochran dies from an inoperable brain tumor at 67…

1973] The Cover of Rolling Stone: 12 days after "The Cover of Rolling Stone" peaks at #6, Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show get their wish...

(WRKO...The Launch (Part 21) (March marks the 44th anniversary of WRKO Boston. All month long, I will be serializing the story behind the actual launch of what would become one of the country's legendary Top 40 radio stations and today continues to be a mainstay in New England with a N/T format)...

In sports, a team manager or coach is as good as his or her team. In radio, a station is only as good as its general manager and WRKO had one of the best in Perry S. Ury. Perry's personality and will to win filtered down through all of us. I can honestly say I never worked for a better GM. While some general managers believe in a hands-on approach, Perry knew how to delegate responsibility to his department managers. Perry summed up his feelings about WRKO's success by saying this: "My memories of the transition from talk to our version of the Drake format was really historical. You guys in programming and promotion did such a professional job of tailoring the station musically and promotionally to Boston. I think the strike of the engineers helped even more. We proved that the music was the thing and that we could survive the strike if we gave our listeners what they wanted. At any rate, thankfully the jocks came back early and we of average talent (me) - could go back to desk jockeying rather than newscasting, although I will admit it was a real charge to go back to my roots in broadcasting. My best to all who made broadcasting in the late sixties so exciting at WRKO - Boston"...

Harvey Mednick, Promotions Director (click "Now Happenings" to see some of Harvey's promotions) of WRKO remembers his time in Boston: "WRKO was a true team effort and the unique mix of people and personalities contributed greatly to its success. In all the years that followed, at all the stations with which I was involved, there's never been a more diverse, yet united group than you, Bob (Henabery), Perry (Ury), Paul (Power), George (Capalbo), Bud (Simmen) and me, all committed to one simple mission: to create the most entertaining and innovative radio station Boston, and the industry has ever known. And with an unmatched singularity of purpose, an incredible amount of talent and a lot of hard work, we did it!"...

Paul Power, Music & Prod. Dir WRKO: "This was the greatest radio journey of my life, handling the music, production and assisting in programming this sitting 50,000 watt "Rig" (quoting J.J. Jeffrey here), taking it from worst to first in just a few months. As a 10-year old kid bitten by the radio bug and listening to the radio greats from 1955 on, and also growing up less than a mile from where WRKO would move in '68 (short commute), I will forever feel honored and indebted to Mel, Perry and all my other friends who helped me realize this dream!"...

(Tomorrow: "WRKO...The Launch" - Part 22: More quotes from Management)...

About Me

Mel Phillips Now & Then is more Now. The Then always follows the Now. Prior to starting 'Remembers' in 2005 and 'Now & Then' on April 7, 2008 I enjoyed a multi-media career which included being one of the Bill Drake program directors. I was involved in the programming of such legendary stations as WOR-FM, WXLO-FM, WNBC, WRKO AM & FM and KQV. I was also General Manager of Hooper Radio, played disc jockey in markets such as Tampa, Nashville, Norfolk and Atlantic City and enjoyed marketing success in syndicated radio for several companies including ABC, MJI and United Stations. My background also includes the music business where I promoted such diverse CBS acts as The Clash, Gloria Estefan, Loverboy, Judas Priest, George Michael & Julio Iglesias. In Special Programming at WCBS-FM I wrote and produced numerous specials and interviewed some of the biggest recording stars. In addition to this post I'm a regular contributor to Radio Daily News. My wife Diane and I reside on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and I'm very proud of my children, Robert Phillips, Lynn Phillips Brough and granddaughters Allyson and Amy...